Green Risotto with Fava Beans

I can't stress enough how much better this is if it is stirred constantly. If one arm gets tired, switch arms. Taste the rice for doneness before serving. Nothing worse than a plate of crunchy risotto. Try it, and you will find it is well worth it!

Ingredients

Directions

Step 1

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, shell the favas and discard the pods. Boil the favas for 4 minutes, strain and then immediately plunge into ice water. Let cool for 2 minutes then pierce the favas and squeeze them out of their skins. Separate 3/4 of the favas and puree in a food processor.

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Step 2

In a separate large saucepan bring the broth to a simmer, and keep it hot. Meanwhile, in another large saucepan over medium heat, melt 1.5 tablespoons of the butter and add the onions. Reduce the heat to low and cook for about 5 minutes; do not brown the onions. Add the rice and cook, while stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the wine, increase the heat to medium, and stir constantly. When the wine has been absorbed, add a little of the hot stock. Once the stock is absorbed, add a little more; repeat this process, stirring constantly, until the rice is cooked through.

Step 3

To the cooked rice add the pureed favas, the remaining 1.5 tablespoons of butter, the rest of the favas and the cheese. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the butter and cheese melt and the puree is incorporated evenly. Season with salt.

Reviews(49)

Most helpful positive review

I feel compelled to say how wonderful this recipe is. I had not tried fava beans before but now that I am in CA and can get them fresh at the farmers market I decided to experiment with them. This risotto is creamy and has bright spring flavors. The fava beans are a lot of work to shell and then shell again once cooked. I tasted the cooked shell and it was tasty--I think you may be able to skip the step of shelling the cooked beans. However the shelled favas are bright green and pretty so it would be less attractive. This seems authentically Italian. In Italy they cherish seasonal vegetables and I am sure that fava bean season is worthy of celebration--this dish is a showcase for the delicate sweetness of the beans.

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Helpful

(35)

Most helpful critical review

Anonymous

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01/23/2012

it seemed like there was one too many cups of broth when the rice was cooked. when i looked on the back of the rice container it had a recipe that used one less cup of broth confirming what i thought about it. the fava beans could have been omitted since they really did not add much to the final product.

I feel compelled to say how wonderful this recipe is. I had not tried fava beans before but now that I am in CA and can get them fresh at the farmers market I decided to experiment with them. This risotto is creamy and has bright spring flavors. The fava beans are a lot of work to shell and then shell again once cooked. I tasted the cooked shell and it was tasty--I think you may be able to skip the step of shelling the cooked beans. However the shelled favas are bright green and pretty so it would be less attractive. This seems authentically Italian. In Italy they cherish seasonal vegetables and I am sure that fava bean season is worthy of celebration--this dish is a showcase for the delicate sweetness of the beans.

Thumb Up

Helpful

(35)

Anonymous

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02/09/2004

This was by far the best risotto I have ever had. I was so creamy! I did end up having to use 6 cups of broth so you might want to keep a bit extra on hand. I just keep tasting until I had the consistency I liked.

This is delicious! The preparation of the fava beans is a little bit of a pain I think the next time I will use canned fava beans. Halfway through the stirring process I thought to myself "I'll never make this again" but when I tasted it IT IS DEFINITELY WORTH THE WORK you'll never have a better rice dish! I used regular parmesan cheese and it came out great.

As a friend said "I don't know if I'm sold on favas. All that work and you just end up with a bunch of lima beans!" I bought fava beans at the farmers' market and this was a delicious way to eat them...but they are a lot of work to prepare. I like all kinds of risotto. I'd make this again with limas and a handful of fresh herbs: Italian parsley mint and basil.

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Helpful

(17)

Anonymous

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07/28/2008

This was FANTASTIC. Here's what I changed: I used a can of lima beans to replace the favas -- it was less work and made limas actually taste good. Also according to the kind folks at Cooks Illustrated you don't have to: 1) heat the chicken stock before adding it and 2) add little bits at a time. So I skipped both of those steps and dumped the stock in at once stirring periodically. No gluey risotto here! I also subbed Madiera (since I had it onhand) for the white wine and it was SPECTACULAR. Warning tho unless you'd like this to be a main dish (vs. a side) it makes a LOT of risotto. I'm going to freeze my leftovers and see how that goes.

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Helpful

(14)

Anonymous

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09/18/2006

Excellent; I tried this recipe however with pine nuts instead of fava beans; te result was a rich risotto with a mid-eastern twist!!!

I've just returned from Italy where I had the wonderful opportunity to have my fill of fava beans and artichokes both of which are in season now and plentiful. I lamented that I've never been able to get fava beans at home but no sooner did I return home did I happily stumble upon them in my market! I was eager to use them in this recipe. Because I cooked the risotto long and slow over 40 minutes and using 5 cups of chicken broth it turned out beautifully allowing the rice to release all its starch and resulting in a wonderfully creamy risotto. Unfortunately while the quality of the finished dish couldn't be beat it tasted of nothing more than the broth it was cooked in. Therefore it was only average. As for the fava beans they were only discernible by sight - there weren't enough of them to really make an impact in taste. Lots of effort for a risotto without distinction.

This is every bit as wonderful as the other reviewers state. We used home grown fava beans - some of them were pretty small and yes - it did take a long time to double shell them. Next time with very young pods I would slice them and use as is. Another alternative is to use peas instead (ok not as authentic but still with a nice bright green colour).

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

**Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-)Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.

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Green Risotto with Fava Beans

I feel compelled to say how wonderful this recipe is. I had not tried fava beans before but now that I am in CA and can get them fresh at the farmers market I decided to experiment with them. This risotto is creamy and has bright spring flavors. The fava beans are a lot of work to shell and then shell again once cooked. I tasted the cooked shell and it was tasty--I think you may be able to skip the step of shelling the cooked beans. However the shelled favas are bright green and pretty so it would be less attractive. This seems authentically Italian. In Italy they cherish seasonal vegetables and I am sure that fava bean season is worthy of celebration--this dish is a showcase for the delicate sweetness of the beans.

Thumb Up

Helpful

(35)

Anonymous

Rating StarRating StarRating StarRating StarRating Star

02/09/2004

This was by far the best risotto I have ever had. I was so creamy! I did end up having to use 6 cups of broth so you might want to keep a bit extra on hand. I just keep tasting until I had the consistency I liked.

This is delicious! The preparation of the fava beans is a little bit of a pain I think the next time I will use canned fava beans. Halfway through the stirring process I thought to myself "I'll never make this again" but when I tasted it IT IS DEFINITELY WORTH THE WORK you'll never have a better rice dish! I used regular parmesan cheese and it came out great.

As a friend said "I don't know if I'm sold on favas. All that work and you just end up with a bunch of lima beans!" I bought fava beans at the farmers' market and this was a delicious way to eat them...but they are a lot of work to prepare. I like all kinds of risotto. I'd make this again with limas and a handful of fresh herbs: Italian parsley mint and basil.

Thumb Up

Helpful

(17)

Anonymous

Rating StarRating StarRating StarRating StarRating Star

07/28/2008

This was FANTASTIC. Here's what I changed: I used a can of lima beans to replace the favas -- it was less work and made limas actually taste good. Also according to the kind folks at Cooks Illustrated you don't have to: 1) heat the chicken stock before adding it and 2) add little bits at a time. So I skipped both of those steps and dumped the stock in at once stirring periodically. No gluey risotto here! I also subbed Madiera (since I had it onhand) for the white wine and it was SPECTACULAR. Warning tho unless you'd like this to be a main dish (vs. a side) it makes a LOT of risotto. I'm going to freeze my leftovers and see how that goes.

Thumb Up

Helpful

(14)

Anonymous

Rating StarRating StarRating StarRating StarRating Star

09/18/2006

Excellent; I tried this recipe however with pine nuts instead of fava beans; te result was a rich risotto with a mid-eastern twist!!!

I've just returned from Italy where I had the wonderful opportunity to have my fill of fava beans and artichokes both of which are in season now and plentiful. I lamented that I've never been able to get fava beans at home but no sooner did I return home did I happily stumble upon them in my market! I was eager to use them in this recipe. Because I cooked the risotto long and slow over 40 minutes and using 5 cups of chicken broth it turned out beautifully allowing the rice to release all its starch and resulting in a wonderfully creamy risotto. Unfortunately while the quality of the finished dish couldn't be beat it tasted of nothing more than the broth it was cooked in. Therefore it was only average. As for the fava beans they were only discernible by sight - there weren't enough of them to really make an impact in taste. Lots of effort for a risotto without distinction.

This is every bit as wonderful as the other reviewers state. We used home grown fava beans - some of them were pretty small and yes - it did take a long time to double shell them. Next time with very young pods I would slice them and use as is. Another alternative is to use peas instead (ok not as authentic but still with a nice bright green colour).

Thumb Up

Helpful

(8)

Anonymous

Rating StarRating StarRating StarRating StarRating Star

01/23/2012

it seemed like there was one too many cups of broth when the rice was cooked. when i looked on the back of the rice container it had a recipe that used one less cup of broth confirming what i thought about it. the fava beans could have been omitted since they really did not add much to the final product.